week five Flashcards
what was the case of Ministry of Health v Atkinson about and why was a case brought before the court
The Ministry of Health was giving subsidies to 3rd party carers of disabled children, but this was not available to parents providing care.
the parental carers took a case of discrimination based on parental status, claiming this was against the Human Rights Act 1993.
what was the result of Ministry of Health v Atkinson and what did Parliament do about it
the court found their was discrimination, Parliament overrode this decision with the Health and Disability Amendment Act 2013 which basically overturned the decision.
Parliament is able to do this because of Parliamentary Sovereignty
what is ad hominin legislation
legislation which attaches to the person, seeking to target a single person and impose some liabilities
what are the two overlaps between the judicial and legislative branches
- parliament can exercise a limited adjudicative function through parliamentary privelege, which gives parliament the ability to prosecute, judge and censure for the breach of parliamentary rules - this is a small domain
- judicial branch performs rule-making through the common law and also control the rules about common law such as stare decisis and judicial legislation (about how the common law is formed and operates)
why is the judicial creation of law not a concern for the separation of powers doctrine
judicial creation of law is incidental to the output of the decisions between parties, leading to law coming out of these disputes incidentally over time.
what is the wider Privy Council (of which the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council - highest appellate court pre 2004 - is a part of) part of and why
the UK executive - because the main business of the Privy Council as a whole is to provide advice to the Sovereign
prior to 2004, what was the connection between the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (as part of our judiciary) and the executive
there is a clear connection between our judiciary and the UK executive
does the Privy Council advise the sovereign in relation to NZ
no, the sovereign wears a different hat when acting for NZ than they do in the UK
what is the Law Commission
an advisory body which reviews and recommends changes to the law and then reports these recommendations to Parliament and ministers
what body is the Law Commission a part of
since they are an Independent Crown Entity, they are a part of the executive
what is the overlap between the Law Commission (as part of the executive) and the judiciary
the President of the Law Commission is normally a currently serving judge - they could be President and preside on cases at the same time
(the office is not always held by a judge)
what does a Royal Commission do?
investigate a matter of public importance, where something has or is perceived to have, gone wrong and report on it
what is the overlap between a Royal Commission (as part of the executive) and the judiciary
members of the commissions can often include current or previously serving judges - they are well suited to the task of gathering evidence, weighing it up and giving some type of advice like what happens in these investigations
where are the potential overlaps between the executive and the judiciary
Royal Commission and Law Commission
is non-interference upheld between the executive and the judiciary
there are checks and balances but generally it is upheld.
Although parliament can cut across judicial decisions and established rights, and in a de facto way it is the executive (through government ministers) that actually start the ball rolling on these changes such as in Atkinson
what is a big way the judiciary keeps the executive in check
through judicial review
what is judicial review
the mechanism by which the executive can be held to account for its actions, parliament cannot be brought to court for its actions but the executive can be when a person whose rights are affected seeks judicial review for that action
why are judicial review actions limited
the common remedy is to require the decision maker to redo the decision making process while fixing whatever defect was found to exist in that decision making process, rather than deciding a particular way
judicial review is usually about ____ problems
procedural
where is there functional overlap between the executive and the judiciary
commissions & inquiries - they investigate and provide advice.
these bodies are not the same as courts - their decisions only contain recommendations and are not legally binding or enforceable
the rights and responsibilities from these recommendations have to be taken up into law and legislative policy to actually become rights and responsibilities
what are the ceremonial/formal overlaps between the executive and the judiciary
the Office of the Administrator - back up to the Governor General if they can’t do their ceremonial duties or assents (Chief Justice will step up)
Judges are appointed by the executive to open a new parliament - ceremonial
what does the doctrine of separation of powers actually do, logistically?
it does not organise government. it has a limited fit within our constitutional arrangement but it still has big important ideas. a modern understanding requires each branch to hold onto its function, but the branches don’t need to have absolutely no overlap anymore
NZ parliament is based heavily on what model of parliament
the Westminster Parliamentary System of the UK
in 1066, the Anglo-Saxons fell. which group came in from France?
Norman rulers - William the Conqueror
from what battle onwards do we have the earliest indications of a Parliament
the battle of hastings
when there were the earliest indications of parliament after the battle of hastings there was some legislative bodies called the ____ and the ____
King’s Council and Curia Regis (King’s Court)
what was the King’s Council’s and the Curia Regis’s main role
to advise the monarch on various matters and participate in a limited extent in law making
from the 12th - 17th centuries, there was a move towards including more _______ in political life rather than just the aristocracy through lineage
middle class men
the legislative bodies in the 12th - 17th centuries were under the sovereign. the king or queen had ____ ______, placing them above
Royal Prerogative
from the 12th - 17th centuries, what amount of law making power did the legislative bodies have vs the monarch
the bodies had limited legislative authority while the King or Queen had law making power by proclamation, without the consent of a representative government of the people
in the 17th century, britain was under the rule of which line of kings?
the Stewart kings
what was the idea about the monarch’s powers during the 17th century and the time of the Stewart kings?
they had a divine right to rule supreme and unchallenged which came directly to them through God
what did the people increasingly believe about the power of the monarch vs the people in the 17th century
that there should be a representative government in the king’s name and with the king’s support
in the Case of Proclamations 1611, what tension could be seen
the tension between the king and parliament